Grate clips tend to disintegrate or break apart after a period of use. Cracking and disintegration of the grate clips is becoming increasingly frequent, and in many instances the grate clips are actually burned out, especially at the higher and higher temperatures now used in the furnaces.
The disintegration of the grate clips coupled with the relatively heavy nature of the grate clips and the support thereof tends to introduce serious maintenance considerations. Prior art grates, including two part grate clips and also one piece grate clips, usually are mounted with a fastening means such as a bolt or a rigid T-bar support unit. Such grate clips are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,917,652, 2,955,812, and 4,200,047. Replacement of the broken or missing grate clips requires the furnace to be turned off and the stoker to be idled. Shutting down the furnace is costly and therefore it is desired to be able to replace the damaged grate clips more easily and quickly without turning the furnace off.
In addition, prior art grate clips require the removal of additional end plates or other extraneous component pieces to facilitate the installation of a grate clip. Further, the grate stoker must be moved into an accessible position near an access door to replace a prior art grate clip. These additional steps waste time and are highly inefficient. Substantial improvements in this type of furnace equipment are desperately needed, since it is recognized in future years temperatures in the furnaces are going to be even higher.